Unexpected
by mixkst
Summary: Many things in life, whether bad or good, are often unexpected, can't be controlled. So is Mike Chang and Blaine Anderson's relationship. From friends to best friends, to lovers, this is their story. SLASH Mike/Blaine
1. New school, new life, new friend

"That was an awesome performance dude, loved your moves," Mike approaches Blaine when the latter is finally free from all the people fawning over him. People seem unable to keep away from Blaine and sadly, Mike is no exception. There's just something about Blaine Anderson that just attracts everybody, it's like the guy oozes sex appeal and charisma in abundance. And this is one of the rare occasions when Blaine is all by himself so Mike just jumps at the opportunity for some overdue alone time with the guy.

"Oh thanks, I appreciate it, I do work hard on my two-steps," Blaine flashes him a big smile as he gathers his stuff. "You're Mike, right? Man, I've seen you perform, you're an amazing dancer."

"Thanks," Mike can't help but grin foolishly as they start walking back to the school for their last classes of the day. Even if this is not the first time he's gotten compliments for his dancing skills, it somehow feels more flattering coming from Blaine. It might have something to do with the fact that Blaine is sort of a superstar compared to him. "But my dancing skills are nothing compared to your singing."

"Are you kidding me? I wish I had moves like yours," Blaine returns.

"I could give you some private lessons, if you'd like," Mike blurts out before he can stop himself. Talking with Blaine feels like embarking on a rollercoaster, he realizes. Once you get on, there's no stopping the ride.

"Sweet! Well, it seems only fair that I give you some singing lessons in return," Blaine says enthusiastically, looking at him with his wide hazel eyes and Mike almost falls as he trips over the steps up to the school's entrance. Thanks to his reflexes he gets a good grip on the railings and avoids what could have been a nasty fall.

"Are you all right?" Blaine lets out a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, thanks," Mike says as he catches his breath, feeling a blush creep up on him. He's relieved to see no one saw him. Well, no one except Blaine, and that's embarrassing enough. He realizes Blaine's hands are on him, having helped steadying him.

"So, are we set? You give me some dancing tips and I give you singing lessons?" Blaine picks up their conversation as they walk into the school's hallways.

"Oh, no, no, I can't sing," Mike replies, horrified at the prospect. He's still not entirely comfortable singing by himself, let alone in front of Blaine. Sure, his last duet with Tina gave him more confidence but he's only ever had to sing in the background.

"No way, with a sweet voice like yours? I bet you can sing beautifully," Blaine says and Mike's afraid his face is completely red now. He bets Blaine could charm his way out of any kind of situation.

"Trust me, I know what I sound like, ask anyone in glee club, I can't sing."

"Challenge accepted, you'll be performing a duet with me one day in glee club and I just happen to know just the right song for you," Blaine shoots him a grin and Mike's heart skips a beat. What is he doing? Here he is, doing what he's pretty sure is flirting with a guy who's very much taken—not to mention that he's dating someone too.

"Give me your number and I'll text you mine," Blaine says, taking out his phone and Mike just goes along, exchanging their numbers like it's the most natural thing in the world. It's thrilling; Mike's never made a friend so quickly in his life.

"All right, I'll see you in glee club!"

Blaine is off to his next class, leaving Mike alone, dumbstruck.

"Wait, there's no glee club meeting today!"

* * *

><p>"Hasn't this been the greatest day ever?" Kurt says as they head over to his car.<p>

"Yeah, pretty awesome," Blaine agrees and his cheeks are a little sore from all the smiling he's been doing today. He never thought being in a public school would be so drama-free. Could have just been his lucky day though, he may have to brace himself for the future. After all, Kurt did have to leave the school for a while because of all the troubles he was facing. But still, Blaine has a good feeling about this year. He's tired nonetheless and can't wait to get to Kurt's and relax in front of a good movie. "Plus I've made a new friend already."

"Really? Who?"

"Mike, from glee club," Blaine replies and his phone suddenly buzzes. _Speaking of the devil._

_** So, how was your first day, Blaine Warbler?**_

Blaine snorts at Mike's text and types a quick reply before getting in the passenger seat beside Kurt.

_** You know that's not my actual last name, right? But my day went great, thank you for asking.**_

"Have you seen Finn's face when you were singing? He was mortified," Kurt says as he starts the engine. "I bet he's afraid you're going to steal all his solos."

"Kurt, I don't expect everyone in glee club to let me have all the solos, you know," Blaine sighs and puts on his seat belt, leaning his head back and letting his shoulders rest.

"Well, you should, you're an amazing vocalist," Kurt smiles at him and Blaine returns it. "But I'm amazing too, so prepare for some competition."

"Can't wait," Blaine shoots his boyfriend a grin. He takes his iPod out to put on some music and starts singing along with Kurt to some Lady Antebellum. Blaine loves their music; some songs are just made to be sung while on the road.

_** What? I thought they'd named the Warblers after you!**_

He gets another text from Mike and lets out a chuckle at that, shaking his head as he types out his response.

_** Hah hah, you're so funny Mike. What is your last name btw?**_

"Who are you texting, babe?" Kurt asks him, breaking him out of his bubble.

"It's just Mike," Blaine replies, waving his phone lightly and Kurt seems satisfied with the answer, just nodding at him.

_** I shall not tell you until I know yours, Anderson.**_

Blaine laughs out loud, trying to remember if he ever even told Mike his last name. His little outburst earns him a cocked eyebrow and a sideway glance from Kurt who looks at him funnily.

_** You just said it, dummy!**_

_** Did I? Am I a genius or what? ;)**_

A grin creeps up on him as he types his reply.

_** Try something along the lines of 'creepy stalker'. Did you just go asking around for my last name? Or did you break into the school's administration and looked into my file?**_

"You're staying over for dinner, right?" Kurt asks and they come to a stop, making Blaine realize they're already at the Hummel residence.

"Yeah, sure," Blaine answers distractedly and follows Kurt into the house, smiling to himself as he reads Mike's latest text.

_** That is some preposterous accusation! You wound me, Blaine, you wound me.**_

"We're home!" Kurt calls out as he slips off his shoes and Blaine follows suit. He stands in the kitchen, waiting for Kurt to gather some snacks. He's truly surprised at how easy it is to talk to Mike and has never felt so giddy. He hasn't made a new guy friend ever since he came out—well, except for Kurt, but that's different, Kurt is gay—all of his current guy friends having befriended him before knowing he was gay. Even if Dalton Academy has a zero tolerance policy towards bullying, when Blaine first joined, he was still wary of people and his self confidence was at the lowest point in his life. He tried to fit in at first, pretending he was like all the other guys and made some really good friends. Only when he joined the Warblers did he gain enough confidence to come out to his fellow schoolmates. So, having Mike take to him so fast is pretty exhilarating.

**_Oh no! What can I do to make it up to you? :(_**

**_I shall tell you when I've come to a decision. Until then, you may tremble in dread my friend._**

**_Alright then. But will you at least tell me your last name?_**

"Blaine, can you take the milk and three glasses? Finn should be home soon," Kurt snaps him out of his conversation with Mike, making him realize with guilt that he's been acting incredibly inappropriate as a guest.

"Of course, I'm sorry," he says and his phone buzzes again, urging him to take a look at Mike's response.

_**It's Chang. Mike Chang. :) **_

Blaine can't help but smile, feeling like he's just sealed his friendship with Mike. Putting his phone back in his jean pocket, he comes to Kurt's help and decides to finally act like the perfect boyfriend he knows he can be.

_tbc_

_This story will most likely be an AR of season 3. Hope you enjoyed it :) Hopefully this will encourage people to write more Blaine/Mike!_


	2. You make everything okay

"Would you mind reading up for the part of Tony?"

"Uh…" Blaine stutters. He's taken aback and finds himself torn between saying yes and no. If he says no, he'll end up hurting Kurt even more. It's just a high school production, it's nothing. This isn't a role that's going to change his life; he doesn't want to go to NYADA as badly as Kurt does. Any good college is fine by Blaine, most colleges have clubs dedicated to the arts, he can always find a glee club or something of the likes. He doesn't necessarily wants to make singing his career. Like most people, he doesn't know what he wants to do and he's counting on college to figure it out. Bottom line: his future doesn't depend on this musical. On the other hand, he can't help wanting this role. _They _want him to be Tony. The pull is hard and he realizes it's more difficult than he thought, no matter how much rationalizing he's gone through. He's standing here on stage, debating in his head what to say to them for God knows how long.

"Do it."

A hand on his arm snaps him out of his thoughts and he turns to see Kurt right next to him, looking at him with tear-jerked eyes.

"Kurt…?"

"Blaine, I'm not going to lie and say this doesn't kill me—trust me, it does—but I have to face the facts," Kurt says, taking a deep breath. "You make a perfect Tony and I don't. If not me, I wouldn't want anyone else but you to play the role."

Blaine's words are trapped somewhere in his throat and all he can think of doing is taking his boyfriend in his arms. He's shaking a little—or maybe Kurt is. Or maybe they both are.

"So? Are you reading for Tony's part?" Artie's voice comes through the speakers.

"Yes, he is," Kurt says, pulling away and wiping his tear-stained cheeks. Blaine grabs his face and kisses him, thankful for Kurt's maturity and understanding. Blaine is pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to make a choice had Kurt not showed up. Kurt breaks off the kiss abruptly and leaves the stage.

"Kurt, wait!"

Blaine chases after him, catching him up in the deserted hallways.

"Blaine, I…I need to be alone right now," Kurt looks at him straight in the eye, his blue eyes now surrounded by red.

"I'm sorry," Blaine offers, not knowing what to say and trying to catch his breath after his performance.

"It's not your fault," Kurt replies and lets out a humorless laugh. "It's not your fault and it's not my fault either but still…no, you know what? Forget it."

"Still, what?" Blaine dares to ask, heart pounding even faster than it already was.

"I…I can't help but hate you for this. I hate you for being a better singer, a better dancer, for being better looking and for being a better person altogether; and ironically, these are the very same reasons that made me fall in love with you."

Kurt's words hit him hard; knock the breath out of him. He stands stock still, feet planted to the ground, mouth gaped open, as he watches his boyfriend run out of the school. His heart pounding in his chest, Kurt out of sight, he feels like a dam breaks and all the water it was containing comes pouring out of him. What does this mean for their relationship? Is it over? Are they still together? Kurt could not have sent a more ambiguous message and Blaine is lost.

Blaine gathers his stuff, resolved to go home, the heartache too strong and constricting for him to even speak now, much less _sing_. He excuses himself at the auditorium and leaves the school as promptly as he can. Only when his feet hit the ground outside does he realize Kurt was the one to drive him this morning. He has no ride home. At this point he doesn't even care anymore, so he walks—or rather, shuffles—feeling too numb because of the pain. Lost in his thoughts, his doubts about his relationship with Kurt. In a way, he resents Kurt's jealousy and selfishness. Blaine did leave the Warblers behind for him, transferred to a school that's mediocre at best, when he was at Dalton Academy, one of the best private schools in the area. He even auditioned for a supporting role to let Kurt get the lead. Blaine has nothing to reproach himself; he has done absolutely nothing wrong—if anyone, Kurt is to blame. Kurt's last words are unfair, completely undeserved. And yet, rationality still fails him, his feelings winning once again over reason, making Blaine feel even worse. He's angry at himself for letting Kurt take so much power from him; he feels like he just fell from the top, rolled over by Kurt.

Blaine doesn't know how long he wanders the streets, doesn't even know if he's going in the right direction. It takes a honk to snap him out of his haze and look for the origin of the sound.

"Need a ride?"

It's Mike. A friendly face. He can see Mike's eyes growing worried as they meet his through the pulled down passenger window.

"Uh…" Blaine's at a loss for words, he wipes his face inelegantly, embarrassed by his poor state, letting out a shaky breath.

"Come on, I'll drive you," Mike insists, unlocking the car door with a click and Blaine doesn't think, he just gets in, not wanting to piss off the drivers behind.

"Thanks," he mumbles, settling his shoulder bag on his lap, buckling his seatbelt before settling his gaze on the scenery out the window.

"Now, you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Blaine replies, a sob betraying his lie as he thinks back on what happened. Mike sends glances at him every now and then but doesn't speak up anymore. Blaine appreciates the soothing silence in the car, it gives him the chance to calm down and breathe more easily, a few hiccups popping up every now and then because of his sobs earlier. Somewhere along the ride, Blaine gives in the afterglow of his cry and dozes off, waking up when the car comes to a stop.

"Where are we?" he asks, rubbing his eyes slowly as his brain switches back to consciousness.

"I'm sorry, I just need to do some groceries for my mom and since I don't know where you live, I figured I could do them first and then—"

"Hey, it's no problem, really," Blaine assures Mike and feels even worse. He should be the one to apologize. The poor guy was kind enough to drive him when Blaine has been acting anything but appropriate. Mike must feel pretty ill-at-ease because of him and his nervous breakdown. God, Blaine's a mess, he's most likely about to lose the one and only friend he's made since his transfer to McKinley High.

"I won't be long, you can stay here and get some more rest if you want," Mike smiles softly at him. It brings him a little comfort somehow and the pain is almost gone now after his little nap.

"I'll just come with you," Blaine gets out of the car, leaving his bag inside. He could use some distraction and spending some time with a friend is exactly what he needs right now. Mike nods, and together they enter the supermarket, an awkward silence now falling upon them. And Blaine hates nothing more than silence when he's with someone; he always ends up talking about whatever he can come up with, to fill the void.

"I'm sorry, for imposing like this on you, and for making you uncomfortable with…you know, me crying and being weird and—"

"Blaine, calm down," Mike cuts him off and Blaine's shoulders slump down from their tense state as they walk past the bread section of the store, Mike's hands on his arms a comforting warmth that make him feel he can finally breathe at full capacity. "You've done nothing wrong, you seemed pretty upset and no offense, but you looked pretty lost. What kind of person lets their friend out in the street like that?"

Blaine manages to smile despite how shitty he's feeling. He's lucky he ran into Mike though, even luckier to count him as a friend. "Thank you."

"Sure," Mike returns his smile and pats him in the arm. "Come on, let's get this done quickly and we'll go grab something to eat, sounds good?"

"Yeah," Blaine replies, feeling lighter already. He could eat, he realizes now that he's actually hungry. He hasn't eaten much at lunch, his stomach tied in knots because of the audition. Blaine doesn't do well with stress, he's always been a very anxious type of person; it may not seem like it, but that's only because he puts up a good front. If he could live a worry-free life, he would, but he knows that kind of life wouldn't get him very far. He has to face Kurt tomorrow—he doesn't have it in him to talk to his boyfriend until then, he's too drained out emotionally for that—and he really doesn't look forward to it. But he can deal with Kurt later, for now, he needs to recover and have some good time with no pressure or worries.

"I just need to get some vegetables and eggs and we're out," Mike says, walking through the aisles and Blaine just follows him idly. They indeed get out of the store pretty quickly and drive back to Mike's place. He gets a call from his dad on their way there and has to take a deep breath before answering—talking with his dad isn't exactly something he enjoys.

"Yes, dad?"

"Where are you, son? Are you with that Kurt kid?" his father grunts, hardly hiding his spite for Kurt. His dad wasn't all that happy when he learned that his son was dating another boy, especially considering that Kurt isn't exactly the manly kind of guy that his father wants his own son to be like. Blaine has but ignored his father's disapproval, at least glad to have his mother's support—overenthusiastic support even, he might add.

"No, dad, I'm hanging out with a friend," Blaine replies drily. "I won't be coming home for supper, Mike and I will probably get pizza or something and before you ask, he's just a friend, ok?"

"No need to take that tone with me, young man," his father shoots back and sighs, continuing with a surprisingly gentler tone. "Have fun, son. Don't get home too late, alright?"

"Yeah, ok," Blaine says before hanging up, somewhat feeling bad for snapping at his father—but he blames it on this long and overall shitty day at school—and heaves a long sigh, leaning his head back against the headrest. Mike doesn't comment, just offers him an understanding smile and nod. They get to Mike's place soon after, a nice and typical suburban house in a quiet neighborhood.

"All right, it's still a little early for dinner, what do you say we hang out for a while?" Mike says as he pulls over in the driveway.

"I'd like that," Blaine finds himself saying giddily and gets out of the car, offering his help with the groceries bag but Mike refuses, claiming that his parents would kill him for letting a guest do such a menial task.

"I'm home," Mike calls out and a middle-aged Asian woman appears in the doorway facing the main entrance. She says something in what Blaine assumes is Chinese to Mike, peering inside the bags while Mike answers her. She takes the bags from him and looks up, her face lighting up as she finally takes notice of Blaine.

"Oh hello!" she says warmly and tosses the bags back at her son before coming up to Blaine and kissing him on the cheeks. She's exactly Blaine's height and she looks at him straight in the eye, a soft smile on her still very young-looking face. Her long hair is pitch black and her eyes are kind, just like Mike's.

"Hi, Mrs Chang," Blaine says, a little taken aback by Mike's mother's way of greeting but very glad to be welcome so well.

"Oh sweetie, call me Marie," she says with a perfect American accent. Blaine assumes she was born in the US then. She turns to look at her son and admonishes him. "Why didn't you say we had a guest over?"

"Ma, this is Blaine, he just transferred to McKinley High," Mike says, ignoring his mom's question and he walks away with the groceries.

"Well, Blaine, are you staying for dinner? My husband's cooking tonight, and trust me, he's a true _cordon bleu_!" Mrs. Chang—because Blaine can't call her by her first name, he's not comfortable with that—says enthusiastically.

"That's true!" Mike shouts from the kitchen.

"Um, I don't want to impose…"

"Nonsense! It's decided, you're staying for dinner!" Mrs. Chang literally beams at him and drags him along to a spacious living room, gesturing at him to sit on one of the plush couches. "It's so nice to have a fresh face here, to be honest, I'm getting tired of Mike's girlfriend," she adds with a whisper.

"I heard that, Ma," Mike appears behind her and she jumps, letting out a little yelp.

"I swear to Buddha, you're going to be the death of me," she says, turning to look at her son. "What? It's true, Tina is _so faux-cul _when she's around me, don't you think I can tell?"

"Okay, first of all, I have no idea what 'foe queue' means, and second, I told you that I hate it when you try to speak in French!" Mike retorts with more animation than Blaine's ever seen him express. "Just because Dad speaks it fluently doesn't mean you do too."

"That remark just cost fifty points to Ravenclaw, young man," she says and Mike rolls his eyes; Blaine's own eyes widen as he tries to grasp what she just said. "Blaine, honey, just make yourself at home, we'll call you boys when dinner's ready."

"Come on, Blaine let's go to my room," Mike says and Blaine obediently follows after him, the question on his tongue dying to be let out.

"Did she just say—"

"Yep," Mike answers as they climb up the stairs to second floor. "I know it may sound stupid to you, but my siblings and I are each in one house, and every month, the house that has the most points would get twice as much allowance money as the others, it's a system my parents came up with years ago but since one of my sisters is in college now, we don't really use it anymore."

"No, that's awesome! I love Harry Potter," Blaine says, now grinning uncontrollably, the fan boy in him coming out from too many years of confinement.

"You do? Man, I feel like everyone around me thinks it's lame—well, you know, except my family."

"I know, right?" Blaine adds as they walk down a narrow hallway with doors on each side. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Exactly three, one older sister, one younger sister and a younger brother," Mike replies and opens a plain white door with only a poster of _Step Up 3 _on it. "My older sister, Sarah, was a Slytherin, my younger sister Helen, Gryffindor and my brother Hufflepuff."

"So, you're a Ravenclaw?"

"Yep, it's always been my favorite house," Mike says as they enter his room. Blaine doesn't know what he was expecting but Mike's room is very sober, just a queen size bed, a desk with a laptop, a closet and a tall bookshelf. The walls are a naked gray, no posters whatsoever. Blaine likes the room, it's appeasing.

"I've always been torn between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw," Blaine says, standing in the middle of the room. "But if I really had to choose, I'd probably take Gryffindor."

"You do seem more like a Gryffindor," Mike grins at him and slumps on his bed, patting the free space beside him for Blaine to sit. "So, what do you want to do? I'm sorry to tell you this, but there's not much to do in my room."

"I don't know—" Mike suddenly bursts out laughing, interrupting Blaine.

"I'm sorry, what I just said sounded way dirtier than I intended," Mike explains, causing Blaine to chuckle himself. As he looks at his friend, Blaine starts to believe things might turn out okay and that this day might not be so bad after all.

_tbc_-

_Just so you know, I'm not a big fan of Kurt's attitude on the show and I've never written Klaine before. I'm not fooling myself, I know Kurt won't react like I made him in this chapter after last episode's cliffhanger. I just wish he'd grow up a little and be supportive of Blaine. That said, I want to thank you for reading this story, I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think!_


	3. Family dinner

Blaine ends up telling Mike about what happened with the audition and Kurt and Mike turns out to be a real good listener, which is quite pleasant, he's got to admit. Not to say that Kurt doesn't listen to him, but it often seems like Kurt just waits for Blaine to finish what he's got to say to change the subject and talk about he wants. Mike doesn't interrupt him, just look him straight in the eye and _listens._ If it was anyone else, Blaine would find irritating the way Mike looks at him sympathetically—Blaine hates being pitied—but Mike seems so genuinely concerned that Blaine can't help but feel better.

"He'll come around," Mike tells Blaine when he's done talking, lying down on his bed. "Kurt doesn't seem like the kind of person that intentionally hurts someone like that."

"I hope so," Blaine mutters noncommittally and joins Mike on the bed, feeling unusually comfortable, considering he and Mike haven't been friends for that long. It's weird, how natural it is for them to be friends, it's like they've been kept away from each other for years and have only now been reunited. "All right, enough said about my dramatic teenage life, what's going in _your_ life, Michael Chang? Are you auditioning for the musical?"

"Err...I don't know."

"So you've been thinking about it," Blaine inquires, turning his head to the side to look at his friend. "What role would you audition for?"

"I was thinking Riff, but I'd have to sing…"

"That's perfect!" Blaine stands up too fast and feels lightheaded for a moment before he turns around to face Mike. "I'll help you with the singing part! Come on, get up."

"What? No," Mike gets up as well, looking conflicted. "At least, not here."

"Why not? Singing doesn't require a lot of space, and we have time to kill," Blaine argues.

Mike paces around his room nervously, running his hands in his hair, worrying over his lip for a few seconds before he finally turns to face Blaine again, releasing a long sigh.

"My parents don't know I'm in glee club," he whispers.

"Why not?" Blaine whispers back and just like that, they end up whispering almost the entire time.

"It's…complicated," Mike starts explaining. "My parents are typical Asians, they're putting a lot of pressure on me, academically speaking, and they wouldn't be all too happy to find out I've been spending time doing something other than studying."

"But you're on the football team," Blaine points out.

"My dad thinks that can be beneficial for my college applications," Mike replies. "Speaking of which, I'm even seeing a consultant for them."

"Wow, I wouldn't have been able to tell, I mean, your mom—"

"My mom isn't that bad, actually, my dad is the one who's really pushing me," Mike heaves a sigh and slumps back down on his bed. "I mean, everything he says is true, I won't make a career out of dancing."

Blaine almost comments on that, but he stops himself just in time. Is it really his place to interfere in Mike's life, especially interfering between him and his parents? Blaine doesn't know them, who is he to judge them, considering his own parents aren't award-worthy either?

"Just because you don't make it your career doesn't mean you can't dance," Blaine offers as a consolation. "I mean, dancing's what you love, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what better hobby than dancing could you possibly have?" Blaine says. "I know I won't make a career out of singing and I don't really want to—I mean, I don't know yet, I want to weigh out all my options, you know? And that's what college is for, right?"

"Right," the corners of Mike's mouth lift up, his voice back to a normal volume and Blaine feels like he just achieved something great, making Mike Chang smile. "You're right."

"I'm always right," Blaine says. "Except when I'm not, but that's rare, so…"

Mike chuckles and the sound is so delightful Blaine feels bubbles in his chest popping up. It feels like an even greater accomplishment to have made Mike Chang laugh. He wants to be the one who makes Mike laugh like this all the time; it feels like such a privilege.

"Come on, I've got some homework to do," Mike says, standing up again to grab his schoolbag. Blaine heaves a sigh and decides he might as well get some work done too.

"Such a spoilsport," Blaine mumbles and gets a pillow thrown at him for that.

* * *

><p>"So, Blaine, what brought you to McKinley High?" Mike's dad asks Blaine as they sit down for dinner. "Where were you studying before?"<p>

"Dalton Academy," Blaine answers and Mike sends him an apologetic look for his father's inquiring. They're sitting next to each other and Mike's siblings are unusually quiet this evening, for obvious reasons: Blaine. They're all trying to get to know him better.

"I hear Dalton Academy's an excellent school, I can't get Michael to go there but Gregory will surely be attending," Mike doesn't miss the reproach in his father's tone and sends a glare his father's way. His younger brother isn't as interested in the arts as Mike is and as his father said, Greg will most likely go to Dalton Academy. Every member of this family has perfect school records, as expected by his parents. Mike is no exception. He just really didn't like the idea of boarding school, he's always been in public school and didn't want to go through the trouble of making new friends.

"What made you leave?" his father asks curiously while serving everyone a piece of veal roast.

"Personal reasons," Blaine replies uneasily and Mike clears his throat, hoping this will be the end of the questioning. He doesn't want Blaine to feel uncomfortable and associate that feeling with him.

"Blaine's had a rough day, Dad, could we talk about something else?" Mike said, looking to his mother for help.

"So, Blaine, what do you like to do in your spare time?" his mom asks, taking a sip of wine.

"I enjoy singing, I'm in the glee club, actually," Blaine says and sends a quick glance at Mike, his lips pursed into a thin line as though he feels guilty for letting that piece of information slip out. Mike gives him a reassuring look. There's no reason his parents would suspect anything just because Mike's got a friend in glee club. Several friends actually, but they don't know that.

"Oh! Can we sing karaoke after dinner?" Helen asks no one in particular, she just looks around the table with excitement painted all over her face. Even if she does get to sing quite often with her friends, she never gets tired of it. Mike doesn't sing at home. Not in front of anybody. And his brother most certainly does not sing. His mother does enjoy karaoke, has a full karaoke set with both American classics and Chinese songs.

"No, Helen, this is a school night, we don't have time for that," Mike's father says, as expected of him.

"But I did all my homework!" she argues in vain because their father's silent scowl is always final in any debate.

"So! Blaine, sweetie, where do you live exactly?"

* * *

><p>"I just wanted to apologize for my family, they can be overbearing sometimes," Mike says as he puts on a vest and opens the front door for Blaine. The rest of the evening went as smoothly as it could've been, Mike thinks, but still. His father did insist to ask more questions about the classes at Dalton, sneaking some snarky remarks about Mike into the conversation. He really hated how awful his father could make him feel sometimes but weirdly enough, Blaine's presence somehow made it all more bearable. This is their first time hanging out as friends and yet Mike feels already closer to Blaine. So far they'd only conversed through texting since they had few opportunities to see each other at school save for glee club.<p>

"No, it's fine, really, your family's never as bad as you think they are," Blaine offers him a smile, walking out to the cold autumn air. "I had a great time, actually, and I wanted to thank you for…you know, cheering me up and stuff."

"I'm glad I could," Mike grins and unlocks his car.

"And thank you, for driving me home, I really feel terrible for being so much trouble," Blaine adds quickly and grabs Mike's forearm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Mike says, gripping Blaine's shoulders and smiling softly. Before he knows it, Mike takes Blaine in his arms, hugging him awkwardly until Blaine returns the hug. Mike's not much of a hugger, but it just came to him naturally and he's got to admit, it feels kind of nice. And Blaine really smells good, he realizes somehow embarrassingly. "You're my friend, Blaine, okay? You'd do the same for me, right?"

"Of course," Blaine returns before pulling away. "Thank you, Michael."

"You're welcome," Mike responds and pats Blaine's arm. "Now come on, let's get you home, it's getting late."


	4. Asian F

Mike exits Principal Figgins' alongside his father, completely mortified. He didn't think his father would go as far as to think Mike would do _drugs_. Seriously? And he doesn't get how his father could've possibly known about glee club. Mike has been very careful not to divulge that piece of information at home, never even told his siblings. Dancing has always been his little secret, well locked in the confinement of his bedroom. He can't even make out the words his father is telling him as they walk on their way out, much less pay attention to where he's going so naturally, he bumps into someone.

"Sorry," he mumbles, looking up apologetically at the person he bumped into.

"Hey Michael," it's Blaine, all smiles and elegance. "Hello Mr. Chang."

"Blaine," Mike's father acknowledges the shorter boy with a nod and turns to Mike, adding "We'll talk about it some more tonight."

Mike watches his father walk away, heart clenched in agony, the red ink still lingering on his retinas. He's never felt that disappointed with himself. You don't cope well with failures when you've never experienced it before, it's perfectly natural. He's mad at himself for not doing better, and not just because of his father. Mike may not like the pressure his father is putting on him, but the truth is, after years and years of being the best at school, he kind of got used to it. He would be lying if he said he didn't like having perfect grades. His ego has been exponentially growing since his earliest days of school as he kept getting A's after A's, getting praises from his teachers and yearning for more. Deprived from his father's approval and growing expectations, Mike has sought approval from his teachers. It's kind of sad, really, but that's how Mike's been working pretty much all his life.

"Michael? Hey, Michael, you all right?" Blaine's voice snaps him out of his thoughts, the other boy looking at him worriedly. He forgot Blaine was even there to begin with.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mike replies, resuming his walk to get to football practice. A little exercise should help him clearing his head.

"Mike," Blaine stops him with a hand on his arm, prompting him to face Blaine again. "You don't look fine. Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

"Really, I..." Mike trails off, feeling overwhelmed. He doesn't have it in him to lie any longer. He doesn't feel like talking at all as a matter of fact. "I need to be alone for a while, I'm sorry, Blaine."

Mike turns around, leaving Blaine behind and hopes he hasn't been too rude. But he's really in no mood to interact with anyone; he just doesn't have it in him to put up appearances. He feels bad for blowing Blaine off like this when their friendship has but grown for the past few weeks they've known each other. He pushes that thought aside for now, deciding to focus on football practice and homework.

Michael gets out of practice last, having stayed behind in the showers, lost in thoughts under the hot water streaming down on him. He's checking his text messages, reading through all three from Tina:

_Mike, r u all right? I didnt c u all day._

_Its ok, u know, u'll do better next time._

_Do u want 2 come over after practice?_

Mike cringes internally as he reads them and ignores them entirely. He's always hated SMS language, can hardly stand it and it's even more conspicuous now that he has Blaine as one of his regular texting buddies, who—unlike all the others—texts in impeccable English.

"Michael, wait up!"

Speak of the devil. He's on his way to his car when he catches Blaine's voice and turns around to see the shorter boy jogging after towards him. Great. He's just finished with practice and just wants to go home and wallow in bed. He would rather not be anywhere near his dad, actually, but where could he go? It would only make his father angrier if he wasted his time hanging out instead of studying. Blaine eventually catches up with him in the parking lot and stops in front of him, taking a few seconds to catch his breath.

"What are you still doing here, Blaine? Shouldn't you be home?"

"What's going on, Michael? Why were you and your dad doing in the principal's office? Is something wrong?" Blaine deflects his question, going straight to the point, as per usual. The disappointment and pain are still very fresh, even after the workout he got from football practice he hoped would help him clear his head a little, and he doesn't want to add salt to injury by talking about it. But Blaine's pleading him with those puppy eyes that Mike cannot resist and that Blaine seems to enjoy using so much on him. It's not faire how adorable Blaine can be sometimes, Mike isn't even sure Tina can get him to do anything she wants with just a simple glance.

"I…I got an A minus in chemistry and my father wanted me to get drug tested," Mike admits, looking down at his feet and swallowing back a sob.

"Are you serious?" Blaine sounds incredulous and Mike just nods, still avoiding Blaine's gaze. Tina understood how bad it is for him to get such a grade, he's not so sure about Blaine. "You got an Asian F? You?"

Mike looks up at that remark, surprised that it came from Blaine but he doesn't comment because, really, what could he say? He's too ashamed and upset to say anything. Suddenly there are arms around his back and soft hair caressing his cheek. Blaine is hugging him and it takes Mike a couple seconds to hug the shorter boy back. Mike's not shy when it comes to physical contact, he just usually gets it from Tina or his mom; rarely from guys.

"I'm sorry," Blaine murmurs softly to his ear and before he knows it, Mike's nuzzling up against Blaine's soft hair, realizing Blaine hasn't put on any hair gel today. It brings him back to a conversation a while ago when he suggested to Blaine to leave his hair untamed. He wonders if it has anything to do with him. Mike has found that hugging Blaine is comforting beyond words; it feels like hugging a giant teddy bear even if it's totally different, the result is the same. He loses himself in Blaine's arms and they stand there for like feels like hours. "I'm sure this Asian F was a slipup, it most assuredly won't happen again."

"Thank you," Mike whispers as he pulls away; having realized with embarrassment that he probably shouldn't have hugged Blaine for so long. But that one simple hug has done a lot more good than he thought possible. "You shouldn't have gone to so much trouble just for me. How long have you been waiting?"

"It's nothing, silly," Blaine punches him in the arm playfully, smiling softly at him. "I did all my homework while I waited for you, just to make you proud."

Mike chuckles at that and for a second he forgets all his problems. It's more than he could hope for, considering he's an anxious person by nature and can never let go of the tiniest of issues he encounters in his life—most of which having to deal with dance moves that he can't master perfectly. It's not unusual for Mike to work over and over on a particular technique, locked in his bedroom, until he's satisfied with the results. It's something he can't help, being a perfectionist; he just doesn't like things not going his way. He wishes he could be more like Blaine, more easy going, not caring so much about futile things. "Didn't you have plans with Kurt?"

"Nah, don't worry about him," Blaine brushes it off like Kurt's not important and Mike wonders how Blaine can do that without sounding like a bad boyfriend. Tina probably wouldn't take Mike speaking of her like this too well. "What about you? Do you want to hang out?"

"I uh…" Mike's first instinct is to say no, to go home and study. He works best when he's upset, fueled with rage and the need to prove to everyone he is and will always be the best even if it's not really necessary at this point. But instead he ends up saying, "Sure, what the hell."

Blaine beams up at him and walks alongside Mike towards his car. Blaine being Blaine, he doesn't have any way to go home by himself it turns out, as though he knew for certain that he'd catch Mike and get a ride from him. It makes him feel better somehow to be with Blaine, his sole presence a heartwarming comfort that Mike doesn't think he's ever gotten from anyone else before. Blaine is so kind to him sometimes that Mike wonders what he's done to deserve it. He's seen Blaine interact with people and even if it may seem like Blaine is generally a nice person, Mike knows it's more politeness than anything.

"What shall we do, my friend?" Blaine asks as they get in the car with a cheerful tone.

"I don't know, I had planned on going home, curl up in bed and cry my eyes out," Mike jokes even though part of what he said is true. He probably wouldn't cry over a bad grade, but he really could've used a good thirty minutes wallowing in his own misery in his bed while listening to music. And then he would've gotten up and given in to the beat, dancing his sadness away.

"We could still do that," Blaine mutters so low that Mike almost doesn't make out the words Blaine says.

"What?" He frowns at Blaine, unsure of what the latter just meant but Blaine looks down right panicked when he seems to realize what he just blurted out.

"What? Nothing," Blaine's eyes are fleeing, leaving Mike confused. Did Blaine just propose to…cuddle in bed? The idea never even crossed his mind, but now that Blaine mentioned it, Mike's weirdly tempted to do just that, as awkward and inappropriate as it is. He decides to shrugs it off, thinking that it's for the best to forget it.

"We could go back to my place and watch some TV? I have Bones on my DVR," Blaine suggests as a more than welcome topic change.

"Awesome."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Hope you enjoyed that chapter, let me know what you think! Comments are love _


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